Lobo alum takes silver medal at world championships

LONDON -- Former University of New Mexico track athlete Courtney Frerichs captured a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the IAAF World Championships on Friday.

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Frerichs grabbed the silver medal with a personal-best 9 minutes, 3.77 seconds. Fellow American Emma Coburn won the race in a world championship record time of 9:02.58. Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi of Kenya finished third behind Frerichs in 9:04.03.

"My coach (Jerry Schumacher) told me, 'Just go for it,'" Frerichs said. "He told me Emma races smart and I felt very comfortable following her. Her form is great and there was an extreme level of comfort."

While at UNM, Frerichs won the NCAA championship in the steeplechase in 2016 and helps the Lobos to the 2015 NCAA cross country team title in 2015. She also competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, taking 11th.